The Picos, Cangas de Onis to Potes – Monday

The rain of yesterday had gone when we woke and the sky was brightening boding well for our partial circumnavigation of the Picos De Europa from Cangas De Onis to Potes.  It was a glorious drive, more diverse than I would have imagined with ever changing scenery: first the limestone gorge of Desfiladero de los Beyos where the road winds along the edge of the Rio Sella, changing from side to side, then as we climbed higher  forested slopes, lush pastures and upland heaths.  We crossed four mountain passes – Puerto de Pandetrave is going to be hard to beat as our most scenic picnic spot – and dipped into the  green valley of Valdeón nestling in the heart of the Picos. From the  San Gloria pass the road snakes down in a series of seemingly never ending hairpin bends, into the Liebana valley on the final run to Potes.  It’s not a fast drive, nor should it be as there is so much to enjoy in the views. The roads are twisty and often necessarily narrow but  all quite manageable, weather permitting.  Seen quite a few motorcyclists who look to be having fun – now there’s an idea …..